fdjizm

im looking to replace my alternator before it leaves me in the middle of the road somewhere... i think the stock alternator on a 98 ex is 70amps.. what would be a good replacement for the stock alternator? can i go higher on the amps without damaging anything?

pdiggitydogg

just get an autolite from parts america - lifetime warranty
autozone probably has a lifetime unit too

fdjizm

well autozone has an oem 70amp for like 150.. ebay has them for 70 bucks.. and ebay also has 80amp ones im figuring go with 80 to be safe (im having light pulsing problems) but would that damage anything?

pdiggitydogg

If you want to dick around with ebay units, be my guest
does the ebay unit have a lifetime warranty???
If so, are you going to pay for shipping both ways?
How reputable is the seller/ebay store?

JDM_SOHC

IMO an alternators an alternator dude... If your lights are pulsing than just just replace it with an OEM one and you'll be fine... Its not like upgrading ur alternator is gonna produce mass amounts of new unfound power... If you have a system and your lights are pulsing because of that, than i'd suggest getting a power capacitor, I got one of them after my lights started doing that dim out during heavy bass, and now they stay fully lumenized even with a Bass CD in there... good luck

fdjizm

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...ZWD1V

69 + shipping (80amp) vs 150+ for an oem 70amp at autozone or anywhere else alternators are liek 180

again will the extra 15 amps hurt anything?


yea lights pulsing.. also the idle will drop to like 640rpm after a few seconds at a stop light.. and i have been noticing harder and harder starts... so it looks like its on its last leg and i dont want to leave it in there to find out when it finally takes a **** and im on the highway somewhere

pdiggitydogg

Wow a 90 day warranty...id trust that thing as far as 91 days then. Ask the seller if the voltage regulator is the same as stock. If its not, that could cause a problem and burn **** up (like bulbs, or overcharge the battery and kill it)
Dont be cheap...it will always bite you in the ***

ALL your electrical problems, more than likely, stem from you having a bad alt to begin with...meaning you probably dont need more amperage

OH, and partsamerica (kragen,murrays,advance auto) carries the autolite i mentioned - theyre $101...

fdjizm

i was thinking all alternators are the same, they do say remanufactured.. whatever that means in terms of parts.. but ah well i need reliability i will pay the price and get the lifetime warranty at autozone.. damn alternator.. that was the last thing i checked.. after the new fuel pump, re-doing grounds, and new fuel filter, i should have thought the alternator every since my windows started taking about 30 seconds to roll up lol and if i do more than one window my lights dim and my idle drops... so this sounds like a confirmed alt problem?

pdiggitydogg

you can always just take the alt into autozone and have it checked too

like i said, look at parts america stores...they tend to have better parts at better prces than autozone

fdjizm

well my car has 173k miles on it i figure its time for some new components even though its been running really good except for the annoying power problem.

what do you reccomend.. i have messed with everything in my car except for an alternator. what is a good one..

http://www.partsamerica.com/Pr...nator

sicones

I'd rather have a used honda alternator in my car then any new aftermarket piece

fdjizm

i cant buy that autolite alternator for 96 bucks on parts america, there is a 68 dollar core charge thats $164... for a remanufactured alternator...wack.

fdjizm

oem honda remanufactured with a one year warranty..
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...wItem

how is this not a great deal?

pdiggitydogg

do you know how core charges work?
you take your old unit in and arent charged that price...

EE_Chris

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by sicones &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I'd rather have a used honda alternator in my car then any new aftermarket piece</TD></TR></TABLE>

I like this answer.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by fdjizm &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">how is this not a great deal?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Price wise, it's a steal. Now you have to consider it's performance and reliability. Even though it says OEM, and you'd like to believe it should be the same part performance and reliability wise as what you'd get at the dealership, that is generally never the case with aftermarket ignition/electrical components when it comes to Honda/Acura.

Also, alternators are rated by how much current they CAN supply. This doesn't mean it's supplying 80A all the time....unless something in teh system is asking for that much current all the time.

And as pdiggitydogg mentioned, the core charge is money you spend upfront but you get back IF you bring back your old part and give it to them. They take your old part and remanufacturer it and then resell it.

fdjizm

so i would have to pay a core charge at autozone too, that is what is near me...so there is no such thing as buying an alternator without having to give them your old one?

cxSHOE

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by fdjizm &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">so i would have to pay a core charge at autozone too, that is what is near me...so there is no such thing as buying an alternator without having to give them your old one?</TD></TR></TABLE>


the core charge is left up to the customer. if you dont give a core you will get charged the core charge. if you give them the core its the price they sell it for minus core charge.

EE_Chris

Let's do it this way:

I walk into AutoZone and request an alternator. The guy says "That'll be $100 with a $50 core charge." I go ahead and pay $150 and walk out with the alternator. I get back home, remove the old one and install the new one. I put the old one in a bag and into my car and proceed back to AutoZone. With receipt and my old alternator in hand, I give these two items to the checker who then refunds me $50. I've now payed a total of $100 for the alternator. If I didn't bring back my old alternator, I wouldn't get that $50 back and I'd be out $150 - simple as that.

If I ordered an alternator from a Honda dealership online (like san leandro), there is no core charge in this case. You just spend a couple hundred bucks and get an alternator you know will work....and you get to keep your old one to do as you see fit with.

cxSHOE

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by EE_Chris &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Let's do it this way:

I walk into AutoZone and request an alternator. The guy says "That'll be $100 with a $50 core charge." I go ahead and pay $150 and walk out with the alternator. I get back home, remove the old one and install the new one. I put the old one in a bag and into my car and proceed back to AutoZone. With receipt and my old alternator in hand, I give these two items to the checker who then refunds me $50. I've now payed a total of $100 for the alternator. If I didn't bring back my old alternator, I wouldn't get that $50 back and I'd be out $150 - simple as that.

If I ordered an alternator from a Honda dealership online (like san leandro), there is no core charge in this case. You just spend a couple hundred bucks and get an alternator you know will work....and you get to keep your old one to do as you see fit with.</TD></TR></TABLE>


exactly....